Japan ends China's winning run at women's softball Asia Cup

XI'AN, China, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan maintained its unbeaten record and handed China its first loss with a dominant 10-0 victory in the women's softball Asia Cup preliminaries on Friday.

Both teams entered the clash with flawless 7-0 records, but world No. 1 Japan stamped its authority early, loading the bases after its first four batters and scoring a run in the opening inning. The powerhouse added runs in each of the next four innings to build a 6-0 lead before tacking on four more in the seventh to seal the win.

China's best scoring opportunity came in the second inning when Xie Jiaxin doubled to right field, but she was later tagged out at home plate.

"I don't think I showed my full potential today. Japan is indeed very strong, but we believe we have the ability to compete with them," said China's starting pitcher Wei Yuchen, who allowed four earned runs in four innings.

Despite the setback, the 21-year-old remained upbeat. "We feel that if we meet Japan again in the final, we still have a chance to win."

To secure a spot in the final against the defending champions, China must first defeat Chinese Taipei on Saturday. Both teams share second place in the 10-team standings with identical 7-1 records, after Chinese Taipei routed Singapore 11-0 in the morning and later defeated the Philippines 3-0.

Coach Han Hsin-lin of Chinese Taipei attributed their win over the Philippines to seizing key opportunities.

"I think both teams were pretty evenly matched today. The key was who could better handle the opposing pitcher's throws. We came through with consecutive hits at crucial times, and I think that was the decisive factor," Han said.

Looking ahead to the clash with China, the 1996 Olympian added: "China is also a strong team, both in hitting and pitching. Our goal is to stay focused and handle every pitch just like we did today - just play our game and perform normally."

Wei echoed the importance of focus for China's final push: "If we focus on ourselves and execute well, we will win."

Elsewhere on Friday, Thailand notched its first victory with a 4-3 win over winless India, and rode on the momentum to beat Malaysia 8-1. India later suffered a 15-0 thrashing to South Korea. Hong Kong enjoyed a strong day, beating Malaysia 15-5 and Singapore 6-4.

The Asia Cup features a single round-robin preliminary stage, with the top two teams advancing to the final and the third- and fourth-placed teams competing for bronze.

The tournament also serves as a qualifier for both the 2026 World Cup and the 2026 Asian Games. The top three teams will qualify for the World Cup, while the top eight will secure Asian Games berths. Enditem